HOUSTON, Texas – The Florida Atlantic University baseball team earned a hard-fought 6-5 win over Rice on Saturday afternoon. The Owls will go for the sweep in the series finale on Sunday.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach John McCormack
“Very proud of the guys. We played very good defense, timely hitting, and we were really good out of the pen for the last four innings. Good series-clinching win.”
THE BEGINNING
FAU jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning when Gabriel Rincones, Jr. launched his eighth home run of the season off the scoreboard in right field.
It was 3-0 in the fourth when Rice tied the game on a three-run home run. The teams would trade runs in the fifth and seventh innings and enter the eighth tied at 5-5.
THE TURNING POINT
Tyler Kelder led off the eighth inning with a blast off the batter’s eye in center field. The grad senior’s fourth home run of the year gave FAU a 6-5 lead.
Robert Wegielnik walked the lead-off man in the bottom of the frame but induced a double play to erase it. With two outs, Rice’s Austin Bulman nearly matched Kelder’s home run to center. Instead, Jalen DeBose made a leaping catch to rob Bulman and maintain the one-run lead.
THE FINISH
Wegielnik came back out for the bottom of the ninth trying for the six-out save. He did just that with an immaculate inning – striking out the side on just nine pitches.
THE ARMS
- Tibur Rivero made the start and completed 3.2 innings with six hits and three runs allowed
- Sam Drumheller pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth inning. His only blemish in 2.2 innings was a solo home run conceded in the seventh. The sophomore retired the other eight batters he faced to earn the win
- Wegielnik picked up his team-leading third save with two shutout frames
THE BATS
- Jackson Ross led the offense with a 3-for-5 day at the plate. He came up just a home run short of the cycle
- Rincones added two more RBI to his team-leading total of 39. His home run in the first inning tied him with Nolan Schanuel for the most on the team
WHAT’S NEXT
The Owls will go for the series sweep on Sunday afternoon. First pitch for the getaway game is scheduled for 1:30 pm (EST).
TICKETS
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